The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

dhubthaigh · Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:05 pm Post subject: HUGH MCKENZIE

Located within Rosebank Primary School, Dundee;

dhubthaigh · Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:07 pm Post subject:

McKENZIE, HUGH McDONALD

Rank: Lieutenant
Date of Death: 30/10/1917
Age: 30
Regiment/Service: Canadian Machine Gun Corps
Awards: V C, D C M
Panel Reference: Panel 32.
Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL
Additional Information:
Croix de Guerre (France). Son of the late Mrs. Jane McDonald McKenzie, of 23, James St., Dundee, Scotland.

Citation
An extract from "The London Gazette," No. 30523, dated 12th Feb., 1918, records the following:-"For most conspicuous bravery and leading when in charge of a section of four machine guns accompanying the infantry in an attack. Seeing that all the officers and most of the non-commissioned officers of an infantry company had become casualties, and that the men were hesitating before a nest of enemy machine guns, which were on commanding ground and causing them severe casualties, he handed over command of his guns to an N.C.O., rallied the infantry, organised an attack, and captured the strong point. Finding that the position was swept by machine-gun fire from a ' pill-box ' which dominated all the ground over which the troops were advancing, Lt. McKenzie made a reconnaissance and detailed flanking and frontal attacking parties which captured the 'pill-box', he himself being killed while leading the frontal attack. By his valour and leadership this gallant officer ensured the capture of these strong points and so saved the lives of many men and enabled the objectives to be attained."

anne park · Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 4:02 pm Post subject: Hugh McDonald McKenzie VC DCM

Hugh McDonald McKenzie VC, DCM born Inverness 5 December 1885 – 30 October 1917 was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

anne park

I found this on Ancestry
Name: Hugh McKenzie
Arrival Date: Oct 1913
Port of Arrival: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Age: 27
Birth Date: abt 1886
Birth Country: Scotland
Gender: Male
Race/Nationality: Scottish (Scotish)
The address was 23 James St; Dundee.

anne park · Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2012 5:35 pm Post subject: Attestation Papers

Name: Hugh Mckenzie
Birth Date: 5 Dec 1885
Birth Location: Muerness,? Scotland (Inverness)
Relative: Mrs H Mckenzie
Regiment Number: 1158

Kenneth Morrison · Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:15 am Post subject:

Lots of detail, including a photograph, at
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/photos/1594227
His service record (as Private, Corporal, Sergeant & Lieutenant) includes the citation for DCM for actions in January 1916 (as a Corporal)
He seems to have served in the RGA and RFA before going to Canada and was married but no mention of his wife anywhere else.
_________________
Ken

Kenneth Morrison · Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:51 am Post subject:

Curious - the Canadian National Defence site has Hugh as born in Liverpool
http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/gal/vcg-gcv/bio/mckenzie-h-eng.asp

and this flickr page has a photo of a memorial in Edge Hill, Liverpool remembering 16 Liverpool VC winners inluding Hugh
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4737carlin/4020311748/

yet his own attestation papers say born Inverness - Odd. Confused

_________________
Ken

DelBoy · Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 10:44 am Post subject: McKenzie V.C. born in England.

I think i have found him on the 1901 census. He is recorded as being born in "England".

His mother Jane McKenzie is a widower in 1901 and the family are living in a cottar house on the edge on Inverness. His mother is recorded as born Inverness-shire. His two older siblings are born at Greenock and two younger ones in Inverness.
In 1911 Hugh is the eldest child living with his mother and siblings at 43 North Street, Dundee. He is a 26 year old Lorryman working for the Railway Co. Again he is recorded as being born in "England".

So although he very likely was born in Liverpool (in England certainly) his connection to the City seems tenuous. He may even have put Inverness as that's where he grew up and knew?

Interestingly on the birth certificate of his younger sibling Nora, who was born illegitimately, it says of her mother Jane: "Widow of James McKenzie, marine engineer, who was drowned at sea on 16th November 1888."
His parents both resided in Dundee when they wed in 1877 and Jane McKenzie (M.S. McDonald) died in Dundee in 1919 aged 62.

Derek.

DelBoy · Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 11:21 am Post subject:

Interestingly his V.C. was apparently destroyed in a fire according to this website. In a house fire of his wife M. McKenzie, or whatever her later surname was, I'd imagine?

"Hugh McKenzie's Victoria Cross was destroyed in a fire in Canada on 24 May 1955. A replacement VC was issued and now resides in the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Museum, Calgary, Alberta."

It's a bit sneaky of Liverpool to count McKenzie as one of "theirs" looking at the age and birthplace of his siblings on census returns.
His family couldn't have been in Liverpool for more than 5 years in total and McKenzie couldn't have been more than 3 himself when his family moved to Inverness to live.

Cheers,
Derek.

Kenneth Morrison · Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2012 12:13 pm Post subject:

Well found Derek.
I went back to FreeBMD (where I couldn't find him before) and
HUGH MacDONALD MacKENZIE was born in December Quarter 1885 in Liverpool (Vol. 8b Page.155)
_________________
Ken

stuartn · Joined: 13 Dec 2016 Posts: 2551

WMR 85699